It must have been a weird experience for the disciples. Jesus takes His 12, gives them incredible power and sends them out two by two. He tells them to take nothing with them and go from town to town preaching the Good News. Can't imagine the conversation between each set of two along the way. At this point they really hadn't had a lot of training. The only one apparently who had had much formal education was Judas. Yet Jesus sent them off.
What a faith building experience for the disciples. No cell phone. No internet. No GPS device. No credit or debit cards. Not a lot of cash. No car. No reservations. No contacts. I'm sure the first town they hit they must have felt a little awkward. I wonder if maybe they started with a little miracle first, you know just trying to get the hang of it. Maybe they tried out a few prayer combo's first. I wonder how long it took them before they tried the big miracle or casting out their first demon.
I'm sure that the greater success they had, the bolder their preaching and miracle performance got. My guess is the local cafe was buzzing a few days after they came to town. After a few miracles, they probably didn't have to worry about a place to stay or where they were going to get their next hot meal. Oh sure, I bet they had their detractors, after all Jesus warned them that they would. But I would also bet the local paper gave them plenty of positive press.
When Jesus sent the 12 out, it wasn't initially so much to get the word out as it was to prepare the 12 and build their faith. They needed to experience this. They needed to gain a little confidence. It wasn't long before their timidness gave way to boldness and excitement as they witnessed God's power at work through them. He taught them not to rely on their own power or plans, but to look to God's power, direction and teaching.
Throughout the Bible God calls for leaps of faith. He gives assignments of great importance and gives His messenger little resources in their hands. But it's always enough. Sometimes it's only a staff. Sometimes it's only a few stones and a sling. Sometimes it's a handful of men with trumpets and lanterns to defeat a vast army. Sometimes it's only the ability to interpret dreams. It's about faith.
Answering God's call with no resources is a scary place to be. We like everything figured out, planned out, resources in hand before we ever start. We have to see it on paper and have proof that it's gonna work before we start or we won't start. But that's not faith, that's sight. Living by faith means taking a risk. It's means placing ourselves in a vulnerable position, letting go of what we know and putting ourselves in God's hands.
God, I confess, the older I get, the more I want assurances. Taking risks gets harder and harder. Living by faith doesn't get any easier. I want to follow you. Show me your power. Grant me success as I exercise faith in following your lead for my life and ministry.
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